Wacky Wednesday: use of distraction through humor to reduce preoperative anxiety in children and their parents

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of distraction through humor on anxiety among children having outpatient surgery, and their parents.

Design: Quasi-experimental design using a nonrandomized control group.

Methods: The study assessed preoperative anxiety in child-parent dyads. The control group received usual care. The intervention group received the "Wacky Wednesday" (WW) intervention in which they entered an environment where employees were dressed in "wacky" attire and children and parents were provided with gifts and costume items. Anxiety scores, heart rate, and blood pressure were collected from patients and parents in both groups on admission and just before transfer to surgery.

Findings: Children who arrived for surgery on WW had significantly lower anxiety scores on admission than children in the control group. In addition, children and parents who received the WW intervention had significantly lower anxiety scores just before surgery than those in the control group.

Conclusions: Humor and distraction are effective with children and parents in relieving preoperative anxiety.

Keywords: children; humor; outpatient surgery; parents; preoperative anxiety.